What, Exactly, Is French Roast Coffee (And How Is It Different From Other Brews)?

French roast is a popular sight in grocery coffee aisles, but none of the bags ever explain what that means. You've read our beginner's guide to coffee beans and our rundown on coffee roasting, but now you want to drill down into the details, and it doesn't help that there aren't really adhered-to standardized definitions of roast levels. French roast is a subcategory of dark roasts. While entities like the Specialty Coffee Association and the National Coffee Association generally agree on there being three main roast levels — light, medium, and dark — roasters are under no obligation to follow this. One coffee house's light roast may be another's medium. 

That being said, French roast is often considered the darkest you can get before the burned flavor of charcoal takes over, while no longer having the original flavors of the bean itself. When coffee beans are roasted they crack open early in the browning stage when the steam inside the bean bursts out. French roasted beans are often referred to as "double roasted," which means the beans were roasted to a second crack which happens around the same time the oils come to the outside of the bean. 

The flavor profile of the bean ranges from caramelized to slightly burnt, and is purely from the roast instead of the bean itself. When you sip a cup of French roast coffee it has a thin body, and the taste will be smoky with a slight molasses sweetness and no acidity. By comparison, a coffee made with light roast beans will have more acidity, the unique flavor characteristics of the bean will shine through, and it will have a richer body. The next level of roast past French is often called Italian or Spanish and is almost more ash than coffee (but in fact, not typical of either country's coffee).

There are many ways to make coffee — French press, pour over, and cold brew to name a few — and many more hacks to make your coffee even better. Believe it or not there are even tips and tricks to make specifically darker roasted beans like French roast taste better.

You can grind your beans coarser than you would a light roast, because the finer the grind the quicker the flavors will be extracted, and here those flavors are bitter. It's also recommended to brew darker roasts for less time and at a lower water temperature, around 180 degrees Fahrenheit. The less time the beans spend being brewed, and the lower the water temperature, the less they are extracted. Less extraction will help reduce the harsh bitterness found in dark roasts, give you a bit more body and texture, and give you a pleasing, smooth cup of coffee.

Many experts think the best way to make French roast coffee is the cold brew method. Cold brew is an easy method to make tasty, rich coffee at home. Using French roast beans is often preferred as the cold extraction won't pull all the bitter flavors out of dark roasted beans. The result is a smooth, rich, dark chocolatey great way to start your day!